Scent of An Old Memory
by Alex-senpai
Summary: Fear. It was irrational, really; how it limits someone from achieving his fullest potential, and exploring the great unknown. But, it was also thanks to this that Nishinoya was able to connect with someone, and experience a thrilling ride of a lifetime. (Focuses on Nishinoya's backstory, from childhood to middle school.)
1. Daffodils

**Chapter I**

**Daffodils**

**i.**

It all started in one particularly hot Summer afternoon, the kind of day where your shirt will surely be slick with sweat.

Haruki noticed him ever since the first time he stepped into the room with much fervor expected of a kid, but somehow he still doesn't understand anything about _that_ kid.

First, why are his bangs blond? They contrast greatly with the black strands of his hair, and it really makes him stand out from the other kids who also have the same hair color as his (not talking about himself, because he has chestnut brown hair). Like, is it even possible to have two hair colors?

Second, why does he look like he's so... what was the right word again? Haruki thinks he's very familiar with the face the kid is making (_I saw myself making that face once in the mirror,_he thought_), _that sort of face he makes when there's that feeling of "_gwaa_" and "_fwoosh_" against his chest, not in the good way of course.

He can't pinpoint what exactly was bothering him about this guy. And whatever that sort of feeling that makes him feel a bit... ticklish but not in the way that makes him laugh, that sort of thing.

"Haru, come here for a bit," his mother's voice called him, and with tiny steps, he walked to her, who beckoned him towards the genkan.

His mother stood up and walked towards an old-looking guy who certainly didn't have the same look as the kid. Mom told him that he can't listen to adult talk, so he sat at the edge of the genkan, taking off his shoes.

There's still that feeling of someone boring holes into his shirt, and he looked behind, only to see the kid still looking at him, with the same face still.

_Like a tame kitten looking for someone to play with._

"Haru, are you done taking off your shoes?"

Nodding his head, he stood up and went inside, sitting on the tatami like his mother did.

"I am glad that you accepted our invite for a play date, Ms. Adachihara," the old man sitting across them said, a smile on his lips.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Nishinoya," his mother said, returning the smile. "My son has been bedridden these past few weeks, so I wanted to take him outside for a change. He doesn't have friends yet, so I am hoping that he can befriend your grandson."

"I really am glad we're kind of on the same page," the old man responded with a chuckle. "Let me call my grandson first. Yuu, come here!"

And there he was again, that kid with _tha_t look on his face, with that outstanding blond fringe, and with those eyes that look almost like that of a cat's. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt as he walked towards his grandfather, looking anywhere but the two guests.

"This kid is really bad with this sort of thing," the old man hit Yuu's-Haru noted-back, who flinched really hard. "He's quite the scaredy cat himself, so I'm helping him get a few friends. That's good, right?"

"Yeah, that's very kind of you, Mr. Nishinoya," Haru's mother said. "Haru, say hi to Yuu."

Haru looked at the kid. Then everything clicked and he recognized that kind of face.

"Mom, I think he's scared," Haru said to his mom, pointing his tiny finger towards the kid.

"Don't point like that, Haru, you will scare him more," his mom reprimanded gently, pushing down his extended arm.

Haru nodded. He stood up and walked over to Yuu, who flinched.

"Hello there," Haru said, a little smile on his lips. "I am Haru, can we be friends?"

Yuu looked surprised at his introduction. He looked up to his grandfather, almost as if seeking approval. His grandfather nodded at him.

"U-um," Yuu stammered, looking down at the ground. "It's nice to meet you too."

Haru felt something tug at his heart, like _"zoom" _and _"fwaah" _and felt something so warm spread throughout his chest, through his neck-

A smile bloomed on his face before his young mind could register what truly happened.

"Ah, it's nice being children," Yuu's grandfather remarked, eyes crinkling.

"Yeah, that's true," Haru's mother said, a hand on her cheek.

For some reason, that afternoon became a little more bearable.

The next time they met, it felt like a _"bam!", _like the feeling of putting together a particularly difficult puzzle, that sort of excitement.

The engawa was open to the buzz of the afternoon air, shoji pushed to the sides.

Haru was sprawled on the floor, feet dangling on air as he hummed a song he heard on television, focused on coloring the picture of a superhero in front of him, when a question just sprung in his mind.

"Yuu, do you have any favorite hero?" Haru asked, gripping the crayon in his hand a little tighter.

Today was another day when both of them visited the Nishinoya residence. Haru's mother decided to let them play with each other.

At first, there was only silence between both of them, not knowing what they should play (they did eat watermelons, read stories, and explored the Nishinoya residence back in their first play date). Then, Haru decided to just play the usual, bringing out coloring books and two boxes of crayons from his backpack.

Yuu looked at him with _that _look that he still doesn't understand, the crayon from his hand falling to the ground soundlessly. His eyes flitted towards his crayon book, the picture of blue-and-red superhero holding a shield with his hand, the words "CAPTAIN AMERICA" written in large letters underneath.

"Probably..." Yuu started, his voice small and hesitant, and Haru can feel that "_fwaah" _against his chest. "... This guy."

Haru stared at the half-colored picture.

"Why? I thought you would like, uh," Haru said, waving his arms animatedly, "guys that are-uh, that have stronger power. Like those with 'BAM!' then 'GWAHH!'"

Yuu looked at him confusedly, before a small smile bloomed on his face, looking on the floor.

"I-uh, I want to be reliable like him, even if, I don't have a strong power, " Yuu said, red-faced and smiling and voice so small, yet Haru can't help but feel-

-like he's looking up to someone despite of being in the same height.

There it is again, that ticklish feeling in his chest, that "_bam!", "fwaah" _and the warmth mingling into a sweet, sweet feeling, much better than basking under the afternoon sun.

"Then, if you want to be him," Haru said, flipping through the pages of his coloring book. "I want to be him, then."

A picture of a man in a red cloak and blue tunic was drawn in intricate detail, the words "DOCTOR STRANGE" written above him.

Yuu looked at the picture before his eyes looked around again, fiddling his fingers.

"Why him?"

Haru smiled.

"It would be bad if our defense becomes injured. So, I will help you heal up, then we can both defend the whole team! Let the others fight, then we will defend! Sounds awesome, right?"

Haru sworn that at that moment, he saw his eyes light up like his favorite lamp.

"Yeah, it is," Yuu said, looking away, pink staining his cheeks.

(Haru still does not understand what that feeling in his chest means.)

The next time they met, it was the spring breeze that accompanied them.

Running at full speed as Yuu tried to catch up with him, ignoring the scream of every joint and muscle in his body, sweat soaking his shirt-

Haru felt so warm, so free and so strong, like soaring through the wind with his wings.

(Haru clutched his blanket with his left hand, downing the glass of water in his right hand in one go as he tried to swallow the medicine his mother gave him without his face contorting into something funny.

"Mom," Haru started, his voice hoarse and for some reason, something stung at his chest. "Will I meet Yuu again?"

The white walls, the needle stabbed through his wrist, the flavorless food, the awful smell of disinfectant and alcohol-

Haru can't take it anymore.

He knows that he doesn't want the cold of the aircon, nor the whiteness of the walls, nor the bitterness of the medicine.

He wants the warmth of the sunlight through the opened shoji of an engawa. He wants the taste of watermelons. He wants the sound of the chime dancing in the wind.

His mom smiled to him but for some reason, no warmth spread out through his chest, nor was there that light on his mother's eyes.

"When you get better," his mother told him. "So, you should rest up.")

"Wa-it," Yuu managed to say in between his pants, gripping his knees as he tried to collect his breath.

"I'm sorry, Yuu. You said you don't want to bike here, so," Haru said, feeling the breeze against his face.

It's been a week since Haru was allowed to go out the hospital, so his mother decided to set up another play date between him and Yuu.

Both of them were left to their own devices as soon as the play date started, so Haru decided to sneak with Yuu, and run to somewhere that Haru only knew.

"Why," Yuu started, still out of breath.

"I wanted to show you this secret place that I found while we were on our way to your home," Haru said with a smile. "I bet you will like it."

After a few seconds of resting, Haru pulls Yuu by his hand and leads him to somewhere into the forest, until they reach a cliff-

"Here we are."

A field of flowers. Beyond the field, through the edge of the cliff, was rows and rows of villages, and a river beyond. Daffodils of all sizes can be seen.

It reminded Haru of the Nanohana fields.

Haru giggled as he picked up a flower that was uprooted from the rest, giving it to Yuu. Yuu stared at the flower.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Haru said, as the breeze made the flowers dance to its beat, the musky fragrance of the daffodils wafting into the air.

Haru breathed in the scent, before turning to Yuu.

"Let's explore the world!"

Another large breeze blew through the field, almost as if in agreement, and Haru can't help but let out a laugh, his chest bubbled with something close to _"fwaah"._

Probably, whatever that was in his chest was already something so simple even a kid like him can understand.

_It feels so amazing. I will always prefer this. I wish it was always like this._

"I feel like I can do anything as long as you are with me, Yuu," Haru said.

Yuu looked at him, before pink stained his cheeks again, a rare, small smile blooming on his lips.

"Yeah."

"That's a promise!"

Haru found himself looking forward to the day when they can finally do that.

There was no next time, and the distant memory felt like a dream, fading into the morning sky.

* * *

**ii.**

"Yuu, pedal harder! You won't be able to move like that!"

He knows it, this feeling that is constricting his chest-an all-familiar feeling that he has been acquainted with ever since he was aware of his surroundings.

Yuu pushed his small legs to touch the pedals, all to please his grandfather (whom he has always been with for as long as he can remember), trying to drive the bicycle forward, forward, forward, even with his feet not touching the ground-

_What if I fell?_

That simple thought breaking through his concentration destroyed the rhythm Yuu has set, the pedals spinning backwards as he fell to the side, crashing towards the ground with a loud _oof. _A shout of distress escaped his lips.

Tears pricked his eyes, the world blurring behind the veil of tears welling up from his eyes.

"I-told you, g-ramps," Yuu said between hiccups, trying to separate himself from the bike to no avail. "I-don't want to-do this-"

His gramps appeared beside him, removing him from the bike before swatting the stray pieces of leaves on his skin.

"You thought that you were going to fall, weren't you?"

That simple question almost stopped the faucet of tears from his eyes.

"You won't be able to overcome your fear if you keep on thinking on what ifs! Just go on forward! Do the thinking later!"

Fear.

That's right, Yuu thought. It was the name of that lurking serpent behind his mind.

"Focus on the thrill of the moment," his gramps said, using his index finger to wipe the tears escaping from the side of Yuu's eyes. "The moment you do, you will forget that fear, and all you will think afterwards will be, 'If I'd let my fear overcome me, I wouldn't have felt this.'"

Yuu almost tilted his head in confusion.

Was that even possible?

A hope was lit in his heart.

_"Passing up the chance to learn and experience new things ... is just one big, fat waste!"_

_"But what do you do if it's still scary?"_

_"Well, that's easy enough. Get some help!"_

The day Yuu laid his eyes on that guy, he felt something weird.

("For our next mission, you will have to befriend someone that is your same age."

Yuu felt his stomach constrict and turn, and the urge to puke has never been hard like this before.

After all, the prospect of having a friend that is his same age is really unnerving to say the least. What if they didn't like him? What if they think that he was weird? What if they think that the blond tuft hanging over his forehead is creepy because a human having two hair colors is-

"Having a friend help you overcome your fears will help you in the long run," his gramps said, a smile on his face. "Remember what I told you before, and engrave it deeply into your heart.")

Those green eyes remind him of trees dancing to the tune of the Spring air, a calming color that somehow untangled his frayed nerves. He felt like a swan waddling through the blue-greens of his eyes, even though the sun was sitting high on its throne on the clouds.

His heart felt so calm, the distorted cacophony of his heart dancing to that tune-

"I am Haruki. Call me Haru. You are Yuu, right?"

Name like the spring, Yuu thought. It's so fitting. He's like the spring in human form, the first flower blooming after the harsh winds of Winter-

"Yeah," Yuu said, the beginnings of a smile blooming on his mouth.

"I hope you can become my friend," Haru smiled, pink coloring his cheeks. "I, honestly don't know much about friendships, so..."

"Same for me," Yuu said in a voice almost quiet.

"Do you have anything that we can play?" Haru asked, looking around Yuu's room.

He stood up and treaded through piles and piles of books and toys scattered around the floor, looking for something interesting to play. A few minutes later, Haru picked up a black journal with yellow thunder-shaped symbols sketched on its surface.

"What's this?" Haru asked, opening the journal to its first pages.

"U-"

Haru read out the title: "Nishinoya Yuu's Beat the Fear Diary", flipping through pages of messy handwriting of his gramps about silly missions of Yuu trying to overcome his various fears (cue Yuu's surprise with Haru's ease in reading difficult kanji).

Yuu felt quite embarrassed. After all, only a few (5, if he remembered correctly) of the hundreds of the missions were crossed out.

"Sorry," Yuu said, fiddling with his fingers, what ifs springing up in his mind.

"What are you apologizing for?" Haru asked, eyes still focused on the pages of the journal.

"I mean, uh, it's not manly to be-"

"It doesn't matter," Haru said, closing the journal and placing it on the table. "I am also afraid of lightnings and stuff like that, but I don't think I am not manly or whatever."

Yuu stared.

"It's just normal," Haru said with a finish. "Let's finish up all the missions in the journal! First mission, let's eat some watermelons! My mom told me that they are delicious!"

"But, swallowing those seeds will cause vines to grow in your stomach!" Yuu retorted in his gentle voice, face contorted into a frown.

Haru stared.

"Really?" Haru asked, the smile disappearing on his face, face paling as seconds go by. "I swallowed a lot yesterday."

Yuu and Haru decided not to eat watermelons and chose another mission from the journal (but still acquiesced to Haru's mother who bought lots of watermelons from the market).

MISSION #5  
Eat the vegetables in a bento!

"Yuu, you really gotta eat these vegetables!" Haru said, cheeks stuffed with rice, omelet, and vegetables (_How can he eat them without screwing off his expression? _Yuu thought begrudgingly), stray pieces spilling to the table.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Haru," his mother said gently yet sternly.

Yuu prodded the vegetables with his chopsticks, still remembering the flat taste it left on its tongue after trying out one of gramp's store-bought bento meals. The vegetables looked well-done, but Yuu still can't get out the impression those green monsters left him with-

They tasted like paper (not that he tried eating paper once, probably).

"What's wrong, Yuu?" the gentle sound of Haru's mother calling him made him flinch. "Do the vegetables taste really bad? You haven't touched your food."

_Will she tell gramps that I haven't eaten my vegetables yet? Luckily, gramps isn't here, or else, _Yuu thought, shuddering at the prospect of getting another earful from his gramps-

"Yeah, he hates it," Haru said, stuffing another mouthful of his food. "It was written on his diary."

(Yuu had the urge to throw his chopsticks at Haru.)

"Really? But they're an important part of the diet, Yuu. You won't grow tall if you don't eat them."

Yuu looked down on his plate, and with anxiety-filled grip, took a piece of the vegetables.

_Calm down. They won't taste like paper. _Yuu told himself repeatedly like a mantra, forcing himself to link those green monsters with Haru's eyes.

Taking a mouthful, he savored the feeling of the leaves against his tongue.

(No one mentioned again how he puked it again afterwards, how he practically begged Haru's mother to not tell his gramps a thing, and how he despised those white thingies added with the green leaves.)

MISSION #10  
Befriend a dog!

A dog growled really hard at both of them as they just stood from afar. Yuu was pointing at the dog, as if trying to tell it to _calm down, we're not looking for a fight! _(To no avail, of course.)

"Yuu, why is it angry at you?" Haru asked, looking at the dog still growling at Yuu.

"Of course it would get angry!" gramps said, earning another flinch from Yuu. "You are looking at its eyes! Don't look at its eyes! It will really get angry!"

Yuu closed his eyes away and tried to still his fast-beating heart, moving towards the dog to try touching it.

_Just to please my gramps, _Yuu told himself, still moving towards the dog (who started barking) with his eyes closed.

Something firm grasped his hands. Yuu's eyes shot open.

Deep green met honey brown.

"Let's pet the dog without looking at its eyes," Haru said, and Yuu almost felt like melting into those green orbs of his. "I will be with you, so don't get scared."

Something cold was injected into his heated body. He felt like he was doused with cold water in the middle of a Summer afternoon. The cold was then replaced by comfortable warmth, spreading through his chest, calming down every nerve in his body.

Yuu nodded, and together they looked towards the dog, like two heroes looking towards the final villain with all their bravado.

(They were chased around the neighborhood, but the memory of his gramps looking so proud of him was engraved in his mind.)

MISSION #15  
Buy something from the convenience store by yourself!

Yuu stood in front of the sliding doors of the nearby convenience store, and he really felt his knees buckling under pressure.

People are huge.

Despite of the cold breeze of the Spring blowing through their town, sweat rolled down Yuu's skin like bullets. For some reason, his feet felt like they were glued to the concrete.

_Just to please my gramps, _Yuu told himself, and willed his body to move forward the sliding door and buy them ramen noodles for their lunch today.

_"We are not getting lunch today if you don't buy the ramen noodles!" _Yuu still remembered his gramps telling him, and the idea of not eating lunch is a scary thought, indeed.

"Yuu, you are too stiff."

Yuu almost forgot that Haru was with him (he's thankful that someone of the same height was with him today). A simple sound of Haru's voice calmed Yuu. A sight of his green orbs lulled his body to a warmth he has grown accustomed to ever since he met Haru.

("Will... Haru come today?"

"I haven't heard anything from Haru's mother," gramps told him, and he felt his heart sink.

It's been 5 months already-of course, Yuu has been counting-since Haru last visited. He became a really important part of his Summer and he thought that maybe, just maybe, he will also be a part of his Autumn and Winter.

Like a youkai, Haru disappeared.

Yuu has never felt so empty like this before.)

Linking their hands, Haru urged them towards the store. Like two puzzle pieces, it just felt so right. The warmth of his hand against his dispelled any what ifs, and left a strength that felt like he can do anything, everything.

Haru accompanied him through every shelf of the store, looking for the familiar logo of their favorite noodles. After picking it up, they bought it from the cashier, before going out of the store with a few spare change and a plastic in hand.

Yuu can't stop the sigh coming out of his lips the moment they left the store.

"Mission accomplished!" Haru said, pumping his fist on air.

_He truly is like the Spring-_

A thought suddenly sprouted in Yuu's mind. With unsureness, he said,

"Will you leave me again?"

Haru looked at him with a curious glance.

"Why?" Haru asked back, confusion spelled out in his face.

_Because, I don't think I can win over my fears without you. _Yuu thought, but his tongue felt stuck.

Suddenly, a smile was on Haru's lips, and he broke out into a run.

"Let's explore the world! I feel like I can do anything as long as you are with me, Yuu."

And maybe, with this promise, he won't leave Yuu again.

The rains were not stopping. The familiar pitter-patter of the droplets against their roof became a music to Yuu's ears after a long time of listening to them.

It was almost 2 months ago, when he and Haru last met in the middle of a field of daffodils.

_I thought we were going to explore the world together, _Yuu thought bitterly, looking at the journal with more and more missions being crossed out.

Maybe, Haru was truly like the Spring, disappearing into the Summer heat. Maybe, he truly was like a youkai, disappearing into the dawn of the day after a night of playing with him.

But maybe, like Spring, he will appear, dispelling the despairs of the Winter winds.

Yuu smothered the idea immediately.

_I will beat my fears, so that one day when we meet again, I can thank you for everything. _Yuu thought, steeling his determination.

_"Let's explore the world!" I promise that it will become true._

* * *

**Apparently, I have decided to start a new story and just get on with it.**

**I thought, oh Nishinoya's backstory is definitely a cool one! But it only lasted for 1 chapter in the manga (chapter 278). I want to explore that backstory and expound on it. Adding to that I have always wanted to write an OC story for Haikyuu!, so this story is like a mix of those desires.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading! I will update sporadically due to basically being busy with college life, but I will do my best to deliver. This story is planned to have 20 chapters with a sequel.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	2. Yellow Roses

**Chapter 2**

**Yellow Roses**

Yuu fiddled with the hem of his uniform, staring at his reflection on the mirror for the umpteenth time of the day.

_Breathe in, breathe out._

He looked at his hair-longer and thicker now as it hung loosely over his forehead, his blond fringes dyed black. He wore the standard uniform for elementary students: black vest over a short-sleeved polo, short black trousers, and black shoes.

_I have grown taller now, _Yuu thought to himself, looking at his head as he traced the engraved line on the wood beside the mirror with his fingers, noting how he has surpassed the line now.

He took note of his face, and noticed how stiff he was. Though, probably, not as bad as he once was, he hoped.

He pinched his cheeks and stretched them upwards.

_Breathe in, breathe out._

_Smile, _Yuu thought to himself, a carefully-practiced smile (yes, he took almost 3 months to perfect that) making its way to his face, the stiffness easing along with the smile.

_I can do this, _he repeated to himself, wiping his clammy hands against the fabric of his trouser. _I am not anymore the same guy I was._

"Yuu, are you ready?" The voice of his gramps resounded from somewhere in the kitchen, if the sounds of the clink and clank of metals were of any indication.

Yuu flinched. He then let out a relieved sigh, slapping both of his cheeks with a bit too much force.

_I need to be stronger for myself, _Yuu thought, tracing the kanji for "people" on his palm with his index finger, putting the traced (on air) characters in his mouth, and swallowing it.

"Yes, gramps," Yuu said, looking again at his reflection on the mirror one more time before walking to his bed. He slung his backpack on both of his shoulders.

Taking one more glance on his bedroom, his eyes flitted towards the black journal covered in thunder-shaped stickers on the table.

Slowly, he walked again towards the bedside table, taking the journal. He flipped through the pages, stopping at one page, where-

A single daffodil was taped on the page, petals faded yellow with age and its familiar musky scent gone, now mingling with the woody smell of the journal.

Yet, for Yuu it's still the same.

The memento of a dream from last Spring. The only reminder of _his_ existence, along with the fading memory of how _he_ looked like. He still tries to remember the deep green eyes with blue flecks, the thick chestnut-brown hair (does he have a thicker hair than _him_ now?), and his pale-ish skin.

But if he even forgets how he looks like for one second, Yuu promised not to forget the warmth of _his_ hand against his, and the strength it gave him to overcome his limits.

He traced the rough edges of the dried petals with his fingers.

_Haru,_ _ please give me strength._

"Yuu! What are you taking so long? The bus is already here!"

Yuu was snapped out of his stupor. He closed the journal, carefully returning the journal on the bedside table as if it was the most fragile thing in the world.

Rubbing his hands against the strap of his bag, Yuu walked out of the bedroom, to the genkan where his gramps waited.

"Are you all set now, Yuu?" his gramps asked, the familiar crooked smile on his lips.

Yuu felt his limbs stiffen.

_Breathe in, breathe out-_

He felt the large hands of his gramps hit his back lightly (was it even lightly? He almost fell to the ground!), the crooked smile still on his gramps' face.

"You are too stiff, Yuu," his gramps crouched down, holding both of his arms.

His gramps's hands felt warm against his arms-it was after all what Yuu has thought to be the closest to what "home" is. He relished in the feeling of those big, warm, comfortable hands grasping his arms firmly, because-

In just an hour, he won't feel anymore of these hands, and honestly, it scares him.

"I know this is new for you, but this is just one of your missions that you must accomplish, just like in your notebook," his gramps said, looking straight into his eyes. "You know what I mean, right?"

Yuu nodded, trying to calm his thundering heart (he was more nervous than he thought).

"Why are you scared anyway?"

Yuu looked down.

"Because, people are so big, and," he said with a low voice, but his gramps suddenly interjected.

"What did I say about having a small voice, hmm?" his gramps said, tone suddenly changing into a stern one.

"Because-!"

"Louder!"

"Because, people are big!"

"That's it!" his gramps said, smile widening. "You gotta have a louder voice so that you scare those fears away!"

Yuu gotta admit, it did calm him.

"Listen, Yuu," his gramps started. "We, Nishinoyas, were not blessed with height. So, if you keep your voice that low, no one will notice you! It runs in our blood that Nishinoyas are not people who will give up no matter what happens. Although, you'd still grow, so you can probably be the only different one from us. Even so..."

He felt the hands of his gramps leave his arms, as he stood up.

"Never give up, Yuu! This is just one of the hundreds of missions written in your notebook, and you have overcome a lot, right?"

"Yes."

"I can't hear you!"

"Yes!" Yuu shouted back with as much fervor as a shy child like him can.

The familiar honk of a bus interrupted their rather noisy conversation. However, for Yuu, it wasn't just a mere honk of a bus.

It was a signal of the start of an adventure-a journey he must embark upon to defeat the greatest evil he's facing right now, like the protagonist of his own show.

Right, he is the _protagonist, _and his fears are the antagonists.

He promised, after all.

As he boarded the bus, he found himself looking back to the familiar wooden gate of their home. His gramps waved at him. He then spread his lips into a smile with his fingers.

Yuu smiled back and with slightly raised hands, waved back to his gramps-to his home.

_Breathe in, breathe out-_

The lemony scent of yellow roses signal the start of his Spring.

* * *

"Oh, did you hear, did you hear?"

"Hmm? What about it?"

"There's a new kid in the next classroom, and I heard he defeated a middle-schooler by himself!"

"Really? Then, should we avoid him?"

"Yeah, he's dangerous! We don't want to get by his bad side!"

Yuu tried to filter the words he's hearing around, but he just _can't. _He bowed his head down on his desk, blocking the surroundings with his arms.

The day was surprisingly event-less. There were only introductions led by their kind teacher. Yuu didn't stutter when he said his carefully-practiced class introduction, and was able to not embarrass himself in front of the class-his new "friends", he supposed.

Definitely a major achievement, isn't it? Plus, he doesn't really stand out that much thanks to his gramps choosing to dye his bangs black, so he hasn't really made that much impression from others, hopefully.

But worry crept into his skin as he continued hearing about this scary new kid from the next classroom.

Like, what is he even supposed to say when he, somehow by a really cruel sleight of hand from the gods or something, stumbled in front of him? Say hi? Apologize for being in his way? Try to befriend him? But Yuu isn't exactly the best with this kind of thing, so...

Yuu felt something churn in his stomach, and an uncomfortable feeling grip his heart.

_It's bad to think badly of others when I haven't met them yet, _Yuu said as he peeked through the gaps of his arms from where he was bowing down.

(Yuu stood behind from an opened shoji, eavesdropping on his gramps who seemed to be talking to someone on his flip phone.

He knows it is not good to eavesdrop on someone, much more that it's his gramps who warned him against doing it because "adult talk" and stuff, but-

He can't help it after hearing that he was set up for some kind of a... play date, was it? Anyway, whatever it is, he can understand that he's already going to meet a complete stranger of the same age as he is.

And that's scary. What if they are not kind? What if they are a really huge person, and they scare him? What if-

"Yuu, what did I tell you about listening to the conversation of others?"

He let out a surprised squeal and fell on his butt. He already felt tears prickling his eyes.

_No, I got caught! _Yuu thought, and he hurriedly wiped away the droplets that have already fallen from his eyes.

"S-sorry, g-"

Suddenly, his gramps was in front of him, crouched down. He then wiped the tears from Yuu's eyes with his index finger, and there was a slight crinkle in his eyes.

"You really are a crybaby, aren't you?" he said.

Yuu felt more tears cascade down his eyes, and it was already too late to hide them from his gramps. His gramps then took a kerchief from his hakama, and wiped his tears gently.

"I bet you heard that you were going to meet someone so you tried listening to me, weren't you?"

Yuu flinched, and he only looked down, fiddling with his fingers.

Suddenly, his gramps laughed, voice hoarse and deep.

"You don't know how to lie, huh?" his gramps said as he wiped away his own tears. He then patted Yuu's hair.

Yuu felt warmth spread in his chest, and he felt himself calm down, his stiff arms relaxing to his gramps's touch.

"You see, Yuu, it's fine to be afraid of new things and people, but you shouldn't allow those feelings to win over you. You have to fight them. You know why?"

The pats stopped, and Yuu looked up to his gramps.

Something fiery was reflected in his gramps's eyes, and Yuu could only stare back into that intensity.

"Because you will miss out on a lot of things. I have told you that many times already, but I will always remind you of it, until you finally live with those words in your heart."

His gramps then closed his eyes, before opening them again, gentleness replacing intensity.

"So, before you think of your new friend as a scary person, you should meet them first, befriend them, and get to know them. After doing all of that, that's when you can judge them whether they are scary or not."

Those words did little to reassure Yuu, but it was enough.

_It was because of that that I met _him_, anyway._)

Sighing and feeling quite cramped, Yuu stood up from his seat. He then silently went outside the sliding door, to stretch his stiff arms.

While Yuu completely remembered everything his gramps said, he just... can't do it. Not yet. He's too weak to do anything by himself, after all.

_I'm sorry gramps. _he pleaded in his mind, imagining his gramps's scary and intense face, his body shuddering at the thought of getting another earful. _I just can't help but be scared by what they're saying._

In the spun of a split second, he felt himself crash harshly against another body, and before his mind could register it, he was already on the ground, his head throbbing in pain.

"Ack!" he groaned, rubbing the part where the pain is coming from, flinching. There will definitely be a lump there.

He saw a hand suddenly appear on his line of vision, and almost instinctively, he took the hand, and he was pulled.

_He has a strong grip, _Yuu noticed before he let go of the hand, and he was face-to-face with a stranger.

The stranger has quite a scary face for someone of his age. His eyes were sharp blue-grays, hair short and curly. He looked at Yuu with gentle eyes despite of appearing scary at first glance.

"A-I-" Yuu started, and he almost wanted to slap himself for stuttering. _Way to go for a really nice first impression._

"Don't worry," the other kid said, and his voice carried an air of confidence and bravado. Even the way he stood, with both hands on his side and chest puffed out, should already hint that this boy is someone who can carry himself.

_He is a strong boy. _

"I wasn't also looking when I was walking, so I should be the one who should apologize, right?" the other boy continued, before smiling.

Yuu felt everything dissipate in his chest, leaving only _comfort._

"Um, thank you," Yuu finally said with a voice too low, a smile making its way on his lips.

"Like I said, don't worry," the boy said, patting Yuu's shoulder. "Just don't be too distracted when walking next time. Anyway..."

The boy then inspected Yuu's face too closely, and Yuu could almost smell the scent of sun from him.

"You have a really big lump here," the boy said before rubbing the sore part where Yuu hit the boy. Yuu groaned in pain, and the boy apologized softly before retreating his hand away.

"I," the boy started before he bowed down on all fours, his head touching the ground, "I'm really sorry!"

Yuu suddenly felt embarrassed at the predicament he is in right now. He can feel the redness spread across his cheeks.

"I-it's fine," Yuu said with his small voice, before he was interrupted (again) and he let out another surprised squeal.

"No!" the boy said without even raising his head up. "I did something terrible! I gotta do something to make up for it! Please allow me to do so!"

"It's fine, r-real-"

"I insist! Please allow me!"

Yuu blinked. He sighed, and rubbed his head. He can literally feel eyes and ears on them right now.

"Okay," Yuu said, and the boy perked up, looking at Yuu with teary eyes and a hopeful smile.

"Really? You mean it."

"O-of course, I do."

The boy jumped up (_How did he did that from being on all fours? _Yuu thought) and whooped, pumping his first on the air.

"Alright! Let me buy you something delicious first! Come, uh, what's your name?" the boy asked, looking at Yuu again, with a curious glance.

_How can he change emotions so fast? _Yuu thought, amazed.

"U-um," Yuu started, and he wants to slap himself so hard for always stuttering when introducing himself (seriously, why can't he just introduce himself to others like he did in front of the class?), "Nishinoya Yuu. Nice to be your, uh-"

_And that small voice! _he thought to himself, reprimanding himself mentally for not being able to follow what his gramps wants for him.

"Don't push yourself too much if you can't! Let's take it slowly, Noya. Although, you should stand up straighter and be prouder of yourself!" the boy said as he eyed Yuu, interrupting him, and Yuu is very much grateful. "I am Tanaka Ryuunosuke! Nice to meet you!" the boy, Tanaka-Yuu noted-said as he pointed to himself with his thumb, before rubbing his chin as if in thought.

"Wait, is that supposed to be how you introduce yourself, or was it another way... Anyway! Nice to be your, uh, acqua-acua-friend!"

Yuu almost chuckled at this boy's enthusiasm. If he was to be honest, it wasn't too much overwhelming.

It was a very much fresh breath of air. It was like standing under the Summer sun, maybe hot but still endearing with the memories it holds.

He did not understand how he could feel like this for someone who's inherently different that he is.

"Anyway, as I have said, let's go!"

Tanaka took him towards a vending machine close to their cafeteria. He took two coins from his pocket and pushed them down the money slot. He then pushed two buttons before the sound of something tumbling down from the machine was heard. Tanaka then took two cans from the takeout port.

"Take this," Tanaka said, giving him a cold can of drink. "Rub this on the sore part of your forehead. If only I had a towel and ice cubes, it would have made for a better cold compress than this. My mom does that everytime I bump my head into something."

Yuu wanted to reject, but before he could voice out his concerns, the cold can was already in his hand, and Tanaka was already opening his own can.

"Hey," Yuu started again, and this time, he put more effort in saying it in a louder voice.

Tanaka grunted in recognition, already gulping down his drink-_mystery fruit flavored Fanta _if Yuu isn't mistaken.

"Why, um, why did you do this for me?"

Tanaka almost spurted his drink.

"Wait, are you okay?" Yuu asked before patting Tanaka's back as he coughed.

After the rounds of coughing have passed, Tanaka wiped his mouth with his forearm.

"Um so-"

"Wooh, I got the gross flavor again. Man, my luck is always bad with this soda," Tanaka said, making a face. "Hmm? Did you say something, Noya?"

Yuu blinked.

"Um, nothing," Yuu said, looking at the can in his hand-an orange-flavored Fanta, the dampness wetting his sweaty hands, chasing away any trace of nervousness that may still be there.

"I see," Tanaka said, before drinking again another gulp and making another disgusted face.

_He didn't hear my question, huh, _Yuu thought. He sighed, before rubbing his can against the lump that formed on his temple, feeling it soothe the pain.

And just like that, like a leaf in the middle of a pond carried to the edge by the winds and ripples, he was pulled by this enthusiastic human, his mind forgetting about the rumors of a scary kid or tackling an adventure to face the great evils of the world-

All that exists was the blooming warmth in his heard, the feeling of fitting into a puzzle, and a feeling akin to _missing home._

(_Like how it was before._)

"How was your day, Yuu?"

"It was fine."

Yuu cannot hide the smile and the warm feeling in his heart.

The next day, as he went down from the bus, Yuu saw a familiar curly hair atop a familiar face from across the road, and he felt a surge of excitement run down his spine. (He didn't know he was capable of feeling that way, but right now, he just did.)

As the traffic line turned red, Yuu walked on the pedestrian lane.

"Tanaka," he said with a voice as loud as he can muster, hoping that his voice could be heard above the unusually noisy crowd of people.

And despite of it all-the noise and everything-Tanaka noticed and he smiled, waving at Yuu.

_Did he meet me here or something? _Yuu thought to himself, but the question was already forgotten before it can be answered.

"Oy, Yuu!" he said as enthusiastically as ever, running towards him as Yuu stepped onto the concrete pavement.

"Hi," he said shyly, and he can't help the smile that spread across his lips.

It just felt so natural to smile in the presence of a sun, where memories and home are.

"You seem to be happier, did something happen?" Tanaka asked, rubbing his chin again in thought. "Yesterday, you seemed more like, hmm, should I say, hesitant?"

"Hesitant?"

"My elder sister said that! Hesitant, like, uh, yeah! Whatever that means!" Tanaka said, rubbing his head. "Anyway, smile more! That's better for you! Mom said that if you don't smile, you get old quickly!"

Yuu fell into the pace Tanaka was setting, and he could say that it was comfortable this way. He doesn't have to force himself to speak, and he can just listen to his voice all day and still be fine with it.

Suddenly, he crashed against Tanaka's back.

"Um, what did-"

Before Yuu can finish what he was about to say, he felt chills run down his spine, the warmth of the sun replaced by the chills of a thunderstorm.

Tanaka was stiff in front of him, face darkened with an emotion Yuu didn't expect he would see from Tanaka's face.

"...Tanaka?" Yuu said, afraid of stirring something that he might regret.

"Let's go, Noya."

Before Yuu can question him, he was already pulled by the wrist towards the school building. He was not allowed to catch his breath, and when they reached the entrance, Yuu gripped his knees, polo damp with sweat from the fast walk that they just did.

Tanaka was still silent.

"...Tanaka?" Yuu tried again, and this time, Tanaka faced him. The storm was gone, the clouds parted, and the streams of sun showered Yuu's face with warmth.

"I'm sorry I had to pull you here," Tanaka apologized, rubbing the back of his head again. "It's just... there were too many people, and we would like to get to class before the bell rings, right? So I just took a faster route towards here, y'know? I'm really sorry about that! I will make up for it later again!"

Despite of whatever he may say, Yuu already noticed.

"No," Yuu said, still looking at Tanaka's face. "It's fine, honestly."

"Anyway, see you later, okay?" Tanaka said, an apologetic smile on his face. "We're on different classes, so hopefully I see you later again during breaktime!"

Tanaka dashed off before Yuu could offer back his goodbye, and Yuu was left wondering what just happened.

Still though, he cannot shake off the feeling of many eyes behind his back.

And as usual, when breaktime came, Yuu met Tanaka in front of their classrooms.

"I am quite shocked that I haven't noticed it since we first saw each other," Tanaka said, "but we're actually next doors, huh."

Yuu nodded.

"Now, I realize how stupid it was of me to leave you hanging in the entrance there, huh?" Tanaka said, an apologetic smile on his face again. "I'm really sorry. I owe you a lot today, huh?"

"No," Yuu interjected, waving his palm in front of his nose. "It's fine, you don't need to-"

"But, I said what I said!" Tanaka said, both hands on his sides, chest puffed out. "A man never backs down on his words! My elder sister told me that, so as a man, I shouldn't break my promises!"

Those words struck a chord within Yuu's heart, and before he knew it, he understood already-

He... must strive to be a _man, _if he wants to keep his promise with _him._

Something bloomed within his chest other than the warmth of the rays of sun touching his core, and Yuu didn't understand it.

A tinge of something so rotten that he didn't know he was capable of feeling, and it made the idea of puking enticing, and Yuu hated it so much. Something painful emanated from his chest, and he could only grip his shirt in face of such an ugly feeling.

_What was that? _

Tanaka... he was really strong. Yuu already knew that much. From the first time he crashed into him, from the words that he says, he already understood.

Yuu isn't nearly as better as he thought he was. He has a lot to learn, if he wants to fulfill his promise. He needs to know more, if he wants people to not leave him again.

If he wants to meet him again.

He was pulled again by Tanaka, like the stray leaf he is casually drifting through the pond by the wind, and before he knew it, they're already in "Tanaka's hiding spot" as he called it, the rooftop overseeing everything below, from the pinks, to the greens and blues.

Yuu felt the calming breeze of Spring, and it reminded him of that _memory, _of the musky scent of daffodils and the warmth of a promise that he wants to keep.

_Ah, still holding onto that, huh._

It's weird how a simple encounter could change one person. The memory of the short time they spent together is almost fading. And yet, Yuu could remember it all-the scent of that day, the feeling of the air against his skin, his words-

The irony of a human memory.

"Nice, right?" Tanaka said, standing beside him.

"Mhm," Yuu said, the breeze rustling his hair, and he inhaled the warm cold of it all. "Just like before..."

Yuu covered his mouth, not meaning to say it out loud. Yet Tanaka laughed, the sound of his laughter like the chime on Yuu's doorstep.

"Have you been to a place like this before, Noya?" Tanaka asked curiously.

Yuu nodded.

"And I bet, you saw this view with another friend, right?" Tanaka said, and Yuu cannot see the rays of the sun again, curtains blocking the view.

"Yeah," Yuu said, his voice lowering.

"You asked me yesterday why I did that thing for you, right?" Tanaka said, inserting his hands in his pockets.

_He heard me? _Yuu thought as he felt his eyes widen, he stared at Tanaka whose eyes shined an unreadable glint.

"Well, you see, I, really," Tanaka said, fumbling with his words, before rubbing the back of his head, his ears turning pink. "Thank you, I guess."

The next words were too silent, but Yuu heard it clearly. Not understanding what it meant, Yuu could only say:

"Why?"

"It's really difficult to explain," Tanaka looked down on the concrete, shadows covering his face. "But really, thank you."

Yuu tilted his head, not understanding what was Tanaka's drift, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Although if I were to be honest, probably, you're my first friend ever."

Yuu's ears perked up, and he almost had a whiplash from how fast he turned his head towards Tanaka.

"You... don't have friends?"

"Not really," Tanaka said honestly, before sighing loudly and looking up at the sky. "So, I really owe you a lot. I can only show you this place for now, sorry I can't buy you a Fanta today. Next time, should I buy you another flavor? Or is the orange flavor your favorite?"

Yuu shook his head.

"Anyway, that's all! Wooh, I feel kind of better," Tanaka said before he was again pulled by the wrist, towards the door because their breaktime is over.

"By the way," Tanaka started, looking back at Yuu after they finished removing all traces of them entering the rooftop. "How does that friend of yours look like?"

Yuu looked at him.

Probably, with his limited vocabulary, he won't be able to find one word suitable for _him, _nor will he be able to tell everything.

But probably, if he was to describe him...

"He is like the Spring."

Tanaka tilted his head this time.

"Spring? I don't know what that means, but if he is a friend of yours, then he must be a great guy. Let's go now, Noya! The classes are probably starting."

Yuu cannot shake the gaping hole in his chest, that rotten feeling continuing to claw into the depths of his heart.

Even if Tanaka said that he was his first friend, somehow it felt like the hole in his chest became bigger. He really wanted to entertain the feeling of throwing up.

Yuu did not understand anything. _How was this different from when I met _him _before?_

"How was your day, Yuu?"

"...it's fine."

"You made a friend already?"

"I guess... Gramps?"

"...I need to learn more how to be a man."

The next days passed by a blur, and it almost became a routine for Tanaka and Yuu to spend some of their breaktime in Tanaka's hiding place. Day and day, Yuu also felt more and more displaced, as if something was wrong and right at the same time.

It's very conflicting, and _Yuu did not understand anything_.

Tanaka was definitely a strong boy, Yuu thought. He's probably the closest to the sun, with his smiles, warmth, and energy.

If Haru was the Spring, then Tanaka was the Summer.

Yet, despite it all, despite of the first feeling of fitting into a puzzle, despite of the first feeling of familiar warmth-

It all dissipated into a thin mist, and everything left was a gaping hole of this ugly, ugly feeling.

_Yuu did not understand anything. _Was it even normal to feel like this for his "friend"?

A week later, Yuu waited for Tanaka in front of his classroom. It was almost like a procedure now, standing in front of his classroom, waiting for the other boy to come, then walking upstairs towards their shared secret hideout. It's like a nice plot development in Yuu's story as a hero to fight the evils, where he finally meets the bestfriend that he will be with for the rest of the journey.

Yet, Tanaka wasn't there.

_Strange, _Yuu thought, looking back to when he came out of the bus, and Tanaka wasn't there.

_What did happen? Was it just coincidence that Tanaka was there always when I come out of the bus? But it's too constant for it to be just a coincidence._

Sighing, Yuu walked back into his room. When he opened the sliding door of their room, he crashed again into another kid, and before he could process (again) what happened, he's already on his butt.

"Oof," he groaned, feeling the pain in his butt.

Yuu looked up and saw a mop of white hair, looking down on him.

_Snow? _Yuu thought as he looked at the white hair.

"Oh, sorry," the kid said, rubbing back his head, eyes crinkling in apology. He then offered his hand to Yuu, who took it.

And the grip was strong-

Yuu was pulled to his feet, and the boy immediately removed his grasp from Yuu's hands, who still reeled from the coldness of the other boy's hands and the strength of his grip.

"I didn't see you going in, I'm sorry. By the way, what's your name?"

Yuu blinked.

"Um, Nishinoya Yuu," he said, but before he could continue, he was already cut off.

"Oh, nice name, I am Fukui Fuyu. Nice to meet you," he said.

Yuu looked at him, and he really had an appearance of a Winter spirit, with his white hair, blue eyes, and cold hands.

And true to that, if Yuu had to compare it to Haru and Tanaka, Fukui had a face similar to the harsh winds of Winter. The smile he offered Yuu didn't reach his eyes, thick clouds obscuring the light of the sun.

To think that he hasn't seen this guy despite being in the same class despite of an appearance that would definitely catch attention... Is he a-

"Yeah, I am a new student here. I enrolled in late, so you haven't seen me in a week that we started," he said, a smile plastered on his lips. "I am quite new to this environment, so please take care of me."

_How did he read my mind? _Yuu thought, and before he could voice his question, Fukui spoke again.

"Oh, yeah, I read minds. Like a psychic. Aren't I amazing?" Fukui said, and he smiled-like a Cheshire cat.

Yuu felt amazed, and he swore that his eyes glittered at that moment.

"Yeah! That's amazing!" Yuu said almost eagerly, his voice being louder than what he intended it to be.

"So, can I be your friend?" Fukui said, looking again straight into Yuu with unreadable eyes. "I... am not good with this sort of thing... and I can sort of tell that you are, too. Is that fine?"

Yuu blinked.

_I'm really gaining friends despite of being bad with this? _Yuu thought, and felt excitement run through his veins.

"Well then, that's decided. I'm your friend!" Fukui said, and smiled.

Yuu was again astounded. Can he really read minds?

"Anyway, Yuu, isn't it?" Fukui said and he went near Yuu's ear, his voice lowering into a whisper. "I heard that you're friends with that Tanaka guy, aren't you?"

Yuu's eyes widened immediately, and he snapped his neck to where Fukui was facing.

He almost felt dread creep his skin.

(Before they enter their classrooms for their next class, Tanaka looked at Yuu.

"Hey, Noya, can you promise me something?"

Yuu perked up at his name being called, and he nodded.

"Don't... don't tell anyone that you're friends with me, okay?"

Yuu tilted his head.

"Why?"

"It's for your safety. Anyway, don't ask the details! I will explain it to you next time.")

"No, no we aren't friends," he said immediately to Fukui, and he prayed that the nervousness in his voice won't be noticed.

_Sorry Tanaka, but I had to. _Yuu silently prayed his apologies.

_If I want to be a man._

"Really?" Fukui said, rubbing his chin. "But others have been talking about that scary guy from the other class who befriended the shy kid in this class, so I assumed it was you... I'm wrong about it, sorry."

Yuu almost sighed in relief if only it won't give out the fact that his secret might be revealed by this guy.

_But, how did he find out about that? _Yuu thought to himself. _He said he just enrolled here this week, and he already said something about rumors..._

_Is he really a psychic?_

The mysterious boy in front of him smiled again.

Yuu cannot shake the feeling of dread in his stomach. The earlier enthusiasm he felt from befriending another person this easily was replaced with a feeling of something venomous.

_This boy... Something feels off. _Yuu thought, praying another apology to his gramps for not following what he was told to do.

_Yuu did not understand anything._

"Anyway, Yuu, let's shake hands to seal off our friendship. From now on, let's be friends, alright?"

Fukui offered his hand, and despite any hesitation, Yuu took it, and felt the steel grip from before.

"I will see you later, Yuu. Let's meet tomorrow during breaktime. I want to meet you more. Unless you're really friends with that Tanaka guy, which is really sad."

Fukui's hand tightened around his, nails scraping against Yuu's skin, and Yuu almost screamed.

After a moment seemingly like eternity, Fukui removed his grasp, and smiled again. Yuu held his hand as it screamed in pain. Fukui then walked away as if nothing happened.

When Fukui was out of earshot, Yuu shook his hand and silently groaned.

_What's with his grip? _Yuu thought, still shaking his hands. _Plus, he invited me tomorrow to meet him... But, Tanaka and I would always meet during that time too..._

Yuu mulled his choices, whether he should join Fukui or not, but something settled in his mind.

_If I break my promise with Tanaka now, I won't be able to keep my promise with Haru._

Yuu looked at the spot where Fukui disappeared to. He didn't notice that his hands were clenched tightly.

_Sorry Tanaka._

_If I want to be a man._

Yuu then entered their class, and ignored the stares that pierced through him.

_This seems like normal now, staring at me, them talking about that scary guy or something. _Yuu thought as he trotted to his seat, near the window. He plopped unceremoniously on it.

"Hey, did you hear about that curlyhead guy, that scary guy from the other class?"

Those words grabbed Yuu's attention immediately, and he listened carefully.

_Sorry gramps, I just can't follow what you tell me. _Yuu thought for the umpteenth time that week, plopping his head down on his desk.

"Yeah, that guy? Didn't he pick a fight with an upperclassman? He really beat up that guy badly!"

_The way they described that scary guy... he seemed almost like Tanaka. _Yuu thought, noting how similar their description of the scary guy is to the Tanaka he knew.

"I heard something about him going to be expelled next week?"

"Really? That means we're going to get some peace in the school, right? Whenever I see him, I really get the creeps, dude!"

"He's really scary! Plus he's also from the next class, so I always bump into him! You don't know how much I want to just run away!"

"Plus those eyes! They are scary! He looks like a monster from one game I played on my PSP!"

_Those guys are terrible,_ Yuu thought, thinking back to his gramps's words. _They... talk bad to others when they haven't met them yet..._

Because Yuu thought, that if it was Tanaka they were talking about, they are certainly and very much wrong.

Tanaka is kind. Tanaka is probably the manliest person Yuu has met. Tanaka is like the Summer sun, warm and filled with memories that Yuu held dear to his heart.

Tanaka... is not like what they say.

He's not someone who will pick up fights with others. Tanaka always picks two cans from the vending machine, and gives Yuu the flavor that he wants. Tanaka always apologizes when he does something wrong, even when Yuu tells him that everything's fine.

_Tanaka is kind._

_Tanaka is not like what they say._

(Ignoring the gaping hole that somehow dug itself in Yuu's heart, that for some reason he doesn't understand yet.)

As if on instinct, Yuu raised his head and looked outside the glass windows from their room, and for a split second, time stopped entirely.

There, a boy with curly hair and scary, blue-gray eyes walked, bandages covering his face and arms. He looked down, and did not look up to where he was walking to. Suddenly, his eyes met Yuu's, and his eyes widened, fear spelled in capital letters on his face.

Yuu felt his heart stop entirely.

No more is the sun that shined proudly. What's left are rain clouds; dark, obscuring any sliver of light from passing through.

"There he is," the other classmates from their room said. "He really looks terrible. Didn't he befriend that shy kid from this class?"

Yuu felt eyes pierce him, but he ignored it all. One question ran in his stupefied mind.

_Who... are you?_

* * *

_**A few footnotes for chapter 2:**_

_**\- There are no school buses in Japan. This is because most school districts in cities are too small. This is why some students may take up to an hour to get to school through various means, including walking or by bus. In Nishinoya's case, he always takes the bus to school. I haven't been to Miyagi, but it seems like it's more of a rural area than a city (based on what we saw from the anime, wherein Shoyo had to travel to Karasuno by biking the steep mountain).**_

_**\- Elementary kids in Japan are already taught how to travel by themselves. This is the reason why Nishinoya's always going to school by himself.**_

_**\- There is no one recess in the school schedule of elementary students in Japan. Instead, there are break times in between classes. Tanaka and Nishinoya meet in these break times. (They can't meet in the lunch period because lunch is served in their respective classrooms).**_

_**\- There's no prescribed uniform for most elementary schools in Japan. However, there are some which have uniforms prescribed. Knowing that Nishinoya went to Chidoriyama in his middle school, which has a blazer uniform, it's safe to assume that he also went to an elementary school with a prescribed uniform. **_

_**\- While Nishinoya did say that he doesn't remember much about being too fearful as it was implied it already ended before he went to 1st grade of elementary, for plot reasons, that will be retconned in this story.**_

**Hello! Thank you for reading this chapter! I'm sorry it took me two months to update this story. I have been handling my workload these past few weeks, plus this pandemic is not being good to me, so I may have been a bit rusty in writing this. Hopefully that's not the case. Although as I go on writing the next chapters, I will revisit the previous chapters to see which I can edit.**

**Also, the length of next chapters might be even longer than the length of this chapter to make up for the fact that I only post on a sporadic basis. There's also a lot happening in each chapter, because it doesn't feel right to cut them off at some parts. Hopefully, the length won't put you off from reading.**

**Special thanks to Midnight 5899 and LucidClockwork for leaving a review! I am happy that both of you look forward to what happens next in the story! Thanks too to LucidClockwork for talking with me through a personal message about what are the possible routes for the story as well as analyzing the relationship between Haru and Nishinoya! **

**I am also thanking those who followed and added this story to their favorites! Y'all inspire me to write this story! Hopefully I won't disappoint y'all.**

**That's all for this chapter! Here's hoping that y'all stay safe in these times of worry and don't forget that it is very much fine to not be productive. We all have different ways of coping up with this pandemic, so please feel valid that not doing something is just as fine as being productive! Again, stay safe and wash your hands!**


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